Kularts Presents Florante Aguilar and the Utom Ensemble

Utom, an eight movement suite composed by Florante Aguilar, is inspired by the music of the T’boli people in Southern Mindanao, Philippines. Utom (oo-tawm) is a musical concept by the T’boli whereby instruments are used to depict the sounds of nature or to describe an event.  As animists, the T’boli believe that everything in our universe is a manifestation of the divine, and art and music are the “voice” of the divine. As such, music is a powerful expression when it comes to narrating  T’boli mythologies. The composition musically narrates the myth of Lake Sebu’s formation along with the T’boli deities and royalty – Boi Henwu the princess, Kludan, the hunter and Boi Henwu’s servant, and Lemugot, a demi-god sent to seduce the princess.